ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Thursday assured Kashmiri leaders that they would be taken along in the quest for peace in South Asia, saying Pakistan would accept no solution to the Kashmir dispute , which was unacceptable to Kashmiris.

In his meeting with the Kashmiri leadership, the president expressed the hope that Pakistan-India peace process would move forward, achieving durable peace and sustainable progress in South Asia.

"This is a good beginning and we ... hope that the two sides will move forward with sincerity," he said, referring to the expected resumption of the composite dialogue between Pakistan and India.

An official statement, released here after the meeting, stated that leaders of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir and representatives of the All-Parties Hurriyet Conference reposed their trust in President Musharraf's peace initiatives for the resolution of outstanding disputes with India, including Kashmir.

Kashmiri leaders, including former AJK president Sardar Abdul Qayyum and former prime minister Sultan Mehmood, welcomed Pakistan-India agreement on resumption of the dialogue, saying they supported President Musharraf's policies for a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute.

The president, it was learnt, informed Kashmiri leaders that the agreement between the Pakistani and Indian leadership during the 12th Saarc Summit "is a victory for all those who believe in moderation and desire peace in the region."

Referring to the joint statement issued in Islamabad on Tuesday after President Musharraf's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the president said leaders of the two countries had expressed the confidence that the resumption of the composite dialogue would lead to the resolution of all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both sides.

The minister for information and broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmad later told reporters that the president had , during the meeting with Kashmiri leaders, reiterated Pakistan's desire for peace in the region at the meeting, adding Kashmiri leaders expressed their support in this regard.

He said that the president reassured the Kashmiri leaders that the Kashmir dispute would be resolved in a just and fair manner. The information minister quoted the president as saying that Kashmiri leaders on both sides would also be taken into confidence, when the peace process reaches the stage from where the process of finding a solution to the Kashmir dispute would begin.

AJK President Sardar Mohammad Anwar Khan said the Kashmir issue could only be resolved through peaceful means, adding the recent Pakistan-India agreement on the start of the composite dialogue would set the ball rolling in that direction.

AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat said: "I am fully satisfied with the peace overture." Former AJK president Sardar Abdul Qayyum said: "This is a very good development, and Kashmiris have full confidence in it."